Stations that fell from grace- stations still in use today that once were significantly more impressive.

[urbophile]

I suspect to be fair he was referring to all the various junk that's been built there over the years and mostly doesn't improve it (though I don't overly dislike the mezzanine). The latest iteration of which being those stupid departure boards.

True. I've not seen the new departure boards but from pictures they don't seem an improvement. But wasn't the complaint when the pristine empty concourse was first built, that there was nowhere for passengers to sit? I know there still isn't much really but you can't expect a busy station to remain uncluttered by either passengers, their personal junk, or the clutter of stalls aiming to sell things to them. That's life; the sensible thing would be to have planned for this in the first place.

 

[frodshamfella]

Charing Cross, lost its appeal when they built over the platforms. Dark n Dingy now unfortunately.

 

[Heathen]

So far as I can see nobody has yet mentioned the decline of Hellifield. Superb station buildings, but now largely used for other purposes, with trains now confined to the southern extremes of the platforms. Saving grace is the superb cafe on the platform.

 

[Ladder23]

Has Luton ever had any grace?

You made me laugh there!

not for a long long time, back maybe 100 years ago

 

[urbophile]

So far as I can see nobody has yet mentioned the decline of Hellifield. Superb station buildings, but now largely used for other purposes, with trains now confined to the southern extremes of the platforms. Saving grace is the superb cafe on the platform.

Even so Hellifield station is a palace compared to what one might expect for the one-horse village in the middle of nowhere which it really is.

 

[Peter Wilde]

Crowhurst was a good suggestion. Junction for Bexhill West. Station had two long, wide platforms, far apart as there were two through roads. Outer faces of the platforms were long bays for connecting services on the branch.

When I used it regularly in the 1970s, the through roads had gone and the bays still had rusty track but were out of use. The extensive station buildings were intact, if not fully open. There was also a station hotel close by.

At that time the fast portions of Hastings diesel services called at Crowhurst and then ran fast to Tunbridge Wells, so a lot of commuters drove the narrow lanes to Crowhurst. Later however the service pattern changed, so the fasts stopped at Battle and not Crowhurst; logical as Battle is a bigger place with better road connections. (At Crowhurst, the civils had also slewed the track to remove the kink where the platform road had joined the former through road, so that speeds on the one remaining up track could increase).

Decline continued - all the rather elegant Crowhurst station buildings were demolished, with all remaining being the two long platforms, with a small modern waiting shelter. Sad, though at least there is still a train service.

 

[Skipness]

Redcar Central (although there are plans to spend substantial amounts on it)